Though they only released their first effort in 1999, the roots of Bell X1 date much further back. Originally formed in 1991 by ex-schoolmates Damien Rice, Paul Noonan, Brian Crosby and Dominic Philips, Juniper started off as a wedding band, playing classic rock covers and similar festive fare.

With the introduction of guitarist Dave Gerathy, the band u-turned and began to produce original music, inspired by British and Irish indie rock acts like the Frames and Radiohead. The band developed a reputation for their riotous stage show and released two very well received singles in ...read more

Though they only released their first effort in 1999, the roots of Bell X1 date much further back. Originally formed in 1991 by ex-schoolmates Damien Rice, Paul Noonan, Brian Crosby and Dominic Philips, Juniper started off as a wedding band, playing classic rock covers and similar festive fare.

With the introduction of guitarist Dave Gerathy, the band u-turned and began to produce original music, inspired by British and Irish indie rock acts like the Frames and Radiohead. The band developed a reputation for their riotous stage show and released two very well received singles in 1998: 'The Weatherman' and 'The World is Dead,' as well as the 'Manna EP'- all are sought-after rarities today.

Signed to PolyGram, the group was on the eve of recording their first album when Damien unexpectedly left the band, upset at the level of label pressure the other members were willing to bow to. Damien went to live in solitude in rural Tuscany, while his former band-mates persevered with the recording process under the new moniker Bell X1, named after the first aircraft to break the sound barrier.

Bell X1 released their first album, the commercially disappointing Neither Am I (which featured many songs written with Damien, as well as a couple of acoustic guitar tracks from their fallen comrade) and followed it up with a hit in 2003, Music In Mouth, from which the massive singles 'Tongue' and 'Eve, The Apple Of My Eye' were pulled. The latter is most well-known for being played during a famous lesbian kiss scene in the O.C. Though the group had lost many fans in the fallout over Juniper's demise, they steadily rebuilt a dedicated fan-base across Ireland and the UK, culminating in the release of 2005's Flocks, their most well-received effort to date (released in the UK on March 20, 2006.) « hide